Golf training aid

ABSTRACT

A hinged golf training club whose hinge pivots at a 0 degree angle relative to the reference plane  42  of the 0 degree clubhead  32.  It looks exactly like and acts exactly like a conventional golf club in every way except for the hinge  28,  and allows the user to safely use it to hit golf balls both on the range and on the course. This hinged golf training club  20  will give unmistakable positive feedback to the user both as how to use the hands, wrists and forearms in the golf swing to effect what has been popularly called the release of the club through the ball, and also gives the user exact, unmistakable three dimensional feedback as to where the shaft is to be thruout the swing in order to effect the correct swing.

I claim the benefit of provisional Application #60/230/464 filed Sep. 6,2000. BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] This invention relates to golf training aids, specifically to agolf swing training aid. Moreover, this invention relates to a hingedpractice golf club that indicates to the golfer exactly how to use hishands, wrists and forearms in the golf swing to effect what has beenpopularly called the release of the club through the ball. In addition,it will give the golfer unmistakable three dimensional feedback as tothe correct positioning of the golf shaft thruout the swing.

[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0004] Through the years there have been many swing aids with a hingeddesign of the fork type being their main feature. Koch #4,854,585 andthe others of his ilk basically tried to keep the golf club on thecorrect swing plane through the use of their clubs and the hinge wouldpivot or break if the club were to be taken back to fast and or off ofthe correct plane. With Reineking #2497237 and Koch #4,854,585 you couldactually safely hit balls because they all had their hinges pivoting ona 90 degree angle relative to the reference plane of the club face. Thereference plane of the club face is defined as the plane in which theclub face of an iron having a 0 degree loft lies.

[0005] In most of these designs, the hinge is of a fork type; one hingemember has a pair of arms forming a fork, the other hinge member has asingle arm (or tongue) which is received within the fork, and a pivotpin passes transversely through all three arms. These were easilyconstructed because the only stress vectors at the 90 degree angle wereon the pivot pin and not on the forked sides.

[0006] All of these forked hinge designs would fail if they were turnedto a 0 degree angle relative to the reference plane of the 0 degreeclubhead because there is no reinforcement at the bottom of the fork. Inother words, when the golfer would swing and impact a ball or the earthat clubhead speeds in the neighborhood of 100 mph, the leverage exertedupon the inner sides of the fork member by the tongue member would causethe forked members to bend or fail. This failure would present a hazardto the user and any onlookers, as the clubhead could become separatedfrom the shaft and fly through the air.

[0007] Lyford #5338035 was obviously aware of this forked hingelimitation and has marketed his invention with the club face coated witha rubber coating so that you could not hit balls with it.

[0008] Tiller #3,606,340 was the exception as his fork design was set ata reference angle of 0 degrees. Obviously the drawings in Tiller#3,606,340 preclude hitting balls with the instrument as the forkedhinge design shown would not hold up to the constant pounding of ballsand earth that it alludes to. Also, if the hinge is to mirror thepositions that the hands, wrists and forearms get into, then the hingedportion should not move both upwardly and downwardly as the wrists neverdeviate downwardly from the position of address as taken in the fullgolf swing. What is desirable in such a hinge is that it only hingeupwardly. Also there is no evidence that Tiller #3,606,340 ever wascommercialized.

[0009] Unfortunately, to be correct, the angle for the hinge must be 0degree angle relative to the reference plane of the 0 degree clubhead,if it is to mirror and give exact, user understandable feedback as tothe correct action of the hand, wrists and forearms in the golf swing.If the hinge is to exactly mirror the wrists in the full swing, then itmust also only hinge upwardly, as that is how the wrists work. It alsomust be at this angle if you are to give exact, unmistakable threedimensional feedback as to where the shaft is to be thruout the swing inorder to effect the correct swing plane.

[0010] So basically there have been no hinged golf training aids thatpivoted at a 0 degree angle relative to the reference plane of the 0degree clubhead, and with a safe construction that you could actuallyhit balls without presenting a safety hazard to the user and onlookers,and further, that looked exactly like and acted exactly like aconventional golf club in every way except for the hinge. Also therehave been no hinged golf training clubs that would give unmistakablepositive feedback to the user both as how to use the hands, wrists andforearms in the golf swing to effect what has been popularly called therelease of the club through the ball, and that would also give the userexact, unmistakable three dimensional feedback as to where the shaft isto be thruout the swing in order to effect the correct swing.

[0011] It would also be helpful to have the additional feedback of theactual ball flight as you performed the correct motion.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0012] This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus forgiving unmistakable, three dimensional positive feedback to the user fortraining the movements of the body to properly execute a golf swing and,in particular, to a method and apparatus which enables the golfer tolearn the correct action of one's hands, wrists and forearms to effectthe release of the golf club through the ball with additional feedbackof being able to observe ball flight after the swing.

[0013] It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention toprovide a method and apparatus for training a golfer to learn the dualelements of correct forearm rotations and swing plane as exhibited bytouring professionals at the same time; and as a corollary to theforegoing object, providing a hinged practice club that is configured atthe optimum 0 degree angle relative to the reference plane of a 0 degreeclubhead for correct reflection of the way a golfer's hands, wrists andforearms work in a professional swing, and also to provide the golferwith a new hinge design that will safely stand up to modem swing speeds.Our hinged golf training club will help the golfer to identify thepositions at the top of the backswing and the positions at the releaseof the club that mimic those of the professional touring player.

[0014] Another important object of the invention is to provide a clubprovided with components similar to and weighted similar to a normalgolf club, so that when the golfer goes back to his regular equipment,the feel of his training will actually transfer to play on the golfcourse.

[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide atraining club that can be used anywhere with or without a golf ball andthat can actually be taken out on the course and be used for playingshots if desired.

[0016] Other objects will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a three-quarter perspective view from the front of theiron golf club, showing enough of the shaft to include the pivot device.

[0018]FIG. 2 shows the golfer addressing the golf ball with the trainingclub.

[0019]FIG. 3 shows the golfer pronating his left hand and forearm andsupinating his right hand and forearm as the club is raised articuatelyaway from the ball. As the club is raised away from the ball, it rotates90 degrees and the lower pivot portion rises, provided the planar swingis carried out.

[0020]FIG. 4 shows the top of the swing, again on the correct plane, thegolfer's left arm essentially straight and parallel to the ground. Thepivot has hinged so that this part of the shaft is pointing to thetarget.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a view showing the swing back to the ball from FIG. 4,going through the reverse step of FIG. 3, where, if the swing plane ismaintained, the pivoted portion of the lower club goes back to thestraight position seen in full lines in FIG. 3, so that the ball strikecan be made.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a view in which we have the exact opposite of FIG. 3occurring. That is, as the right hand and forearm pronate and the lefthand and forearm correctly supinate at the same time, then the pivotalportion of the golf club swings up as shown at FIG. 13.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a view of the correct swing completed with the entirepart of the club and the arms of the player in the circular planedescribed.

[0024]FIG. 8 is a front view showing the pivotal connection, per se,seen at the top of FIG. 1 with the lower portion of the club dependingdownwardly, just as seen in FIG. 1.

[0025]FIG. 9 is a view showing the reverse side of FIG. 8 and shows therecess in the opposite side of the coupling where the rear end of thelower pivotal part of the club can pass out through the collar that hasthe roll pin, permitting the lower golf club portion to pivot.

[0026]FIG. 10 is a view taken along 10-10 of FIG. 8 in the direction ofthe arrows.

[0027]FIG. 11 is a view taken along the lines 11-11 of FIG. 9 in thedirection of the arrows.

[0028]FIG. 12 is a view showing the shaft, pivot and collar with thelower portion of the golf club fully pivoted.

[0029]FIG. 13 is a view taken along the line 14 of FIG. 6 in thedirection of the arrows. The slot seen in FIG. 9 is downwards and thefront face slot of FIG. 1 is upwards.

REFERENCED NUMERALS IN DRAWING

[0030]20 Hinged golf swing training device

[0031]22 Elongated longer upper portion of shaft

[0032]24 Elongated shorter lower portion of shaft

[0033]26 Grip

[0034]28 Hinge assembly

[0035]30 Female hinge member

[0036]32 Clubhead

[0037]34 Roll pin

[0038]36 Front face slot

[0039]38 Back face slot

[0040]40 Shaft cavity

[0041]42 Reference plane

[0042]44 Lower shaft receiving groove

[0043]46 Male hinge member

[0044]48 Roll pin bore

[0045]50 Target line

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Referring initially to FIGS. 1-7, there is shown a golfer ataddress in FIG. 2 with the present invention, a hinged golf swingtraining club 20. It has the usual elongated upper 22 and lower 24 shaftsections, connecting at their confronting ends by a hinge assembly 28having one distinct hinge axes.

[0047] At the end of the longer upper 22 end thereof, a grip 26 isprovided which is to be grasped by the player in the normal manner.(seen in FIG. 2) and at the lower end of the lower 24 shaft section isattached a clubhead 32. Preferably, the hinge assembly 28 should belocated at or near the center of gravity of the training device 20, butcould be located at other places along the length of the club.

[0048] The shaft sections 22 and 24, the clubhead 32, and the grip 26could be composed of similar components as those presently used in golfclub construction. However, the clubhead 32, could be, in addition tothe five iron head shown, a driver or other club head configuration,including specific training heads not shaped like conventional heads.

[0049] The hinge assembly 28 could be constructed of any number of extrastrong materials, such as, stainless steel or heat treated aluminum.This should result in a hinge assembly 28 which would be strong andlightweight.

[0050] The hinge assembly 28 comprises a one-way hinge orientated toallow lower 24 shaft to pivot 90 degrees upwardly as is shown in FIG.13. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 13, when hinge assembly 28 and lower 24shaft section are pivoted, the lower 24 shaft section and clubhead 32will have a reference plane 42 of 0 degree, respective to angle withupper 22 shaft.

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 10, the main hinge assembly 28 is showncomprising a female hinge member 30 including a lower shaft receivinggroove 44 formed therein, composed and adapted to receive the top ofmale hinge member 46. The top of the main body includes one shaft cavity40 extending only partly through the hinge end and adapted to receiveand secure the upper golf shaft section by epoxying it into the opening.The male hinge member 46 is attached to the female hinge member 30 ofthe assembly by means of a roll pin 34 inserted thru a bore 48 thatintersects the main assembly at a 90 degree angle. The male hinge member46 has a bore 48 thru it to allow the insertion of the roll pin 34 andalso has been machined at its lower end to allow for insertion into thehollow core of the lower 24 part of the shaft, where it will be epoxiedinto place. The main advantage of this configuration is that at the timeof greatest stress on the hinge assembly 28, the male hinge member 46 issafely collared within two outer walls that are simultaneouslystrengthened by the presence of the third connecting wall at the time ofgreatest stress which is impact with the ball when the hinging assemblysnaps back into the alignments in which it was at address. With theprior art, there are only the two forked open-sides to absorb the stressand often bend or break with the result being dangerous conditions forthe swinger and onlookers.

[0052] Practice with the training club 20 of the present invention isillustrated by the sequence of views of FIGS. 2-7. To get to the top ofthe backswing in FIG. 4, normally the golfer would have to think aboutkeeping his left arm straight and pronated, the right arm supinated andin flexion, with both wrists in radial flexion, the left wrist in palmarextension and the right wrist in extension. In order to arrive at thefinish illustrated in FIG. 7, the golfer would have to think aboutsupinating the left arm and pronating the right arm so that they wouldarrive with the left arm in flexion and the right arm relativelystraight, with both wrists in radial flexion, the left wrist in palmarextension and the right wrist in extension. Instead of thinking aboutall of that, and since the hinge assembly 28 mirrors exactly what thegolfers wrists are doing, all the golfer has to do is get the trainingclub 20 in the positions shown in FIGS. 3 to 7 to check if they havemade the correct movements with their body.

[0053] The first checkpoint is at FIG. 3. To check if the golfer is inthe correct position for this part of the swing, they would make surethat when the upper 22 portion of the shaft of the club 20 becomesparallel with the ground that it is also parallel to the target line 50and that the handle of the shaft is generally over the toes of the rightfoot. The lower 24 section of the shaft would be perpendicular to theground if the hinge assembly 28 were fully cocked at this time. Fullycocked would mean that lower 24 section of shaft and upper 22 section ofshaft would form a 90 degree angle. Any deviation from either of thesecheckpoints would indicate that the golfer would have to adjust hisbodily movements to effect the correct position of the club 20. The nextcheckpoint is at FIG. 4. The golfer should check that upper 22 portionof shaft is pointing at the target line 50 and that the lower 24 portionof the shaft is pointed at the target. When the golfer arrives at FIG. 5the upper 22 and lower 24 sections of the shaft should have come backinto the same alignment as at address for impact and then continue toFIG. 6 where the upper 22 portion of the shaft would again be parallelto the ground and the target line 50. In addition, the lower 24 sectionof the shaft would be perpendicular to the ground if the hinge assembly28 were fully cocked at this time, with the handle of the shaftgenerally over the toes of the left foot.

[0054] At the finish, the golfer should check that the upper 22 portionof the shaft is pointing at the target line 50 and that the lower 24portion of the shaft is pointed at the target. If the golfer deviatesfrom these checkpoints, for example, the position of the club 20 at FIG.6 is not as prescribed, then he must adjust his bodily movements toeffect the simple corrections in order to get the swing onto the properplane and correct release as exhibited by touring professionals.

[0055] Thus we can see that this training club 20 provides the golferwith unmistakable feedback, since it exactly mirrors the motion of hishands, wrists and forearms. In addition, the upper 22 and lower 24sections of the shaft provide unmistakable feedback by the way they lineup in the various checkpoints of the swing. We can see further that thistraining club 20 allows the golfer to feel the correct release of thegolf training club 20 through the ball with the additional feedback ofbeing able to observe ball flight after the swing. This will allow bothinexperienced and scratch golfers to improve their ball strikingabilities.

I claim:
 1. A golf training aid comprising: an upper shaft sectionhaving a grip; a lower shaft section having a clubhead having areference plane; and a one-way hinge assembly comprising a female hingemember that is fixed to said upper shaft section and a male hinge memberthat is fixed to said lower shaft section and that is pivotablyconnected to said female hinge member; wherein said female hinge membercomprises a longitudinal cavity within which said male hinge memberpivots about a transverse axis, said transverse axis being perpendicularto the reference plane of a clubhead having a zero degree loft, saidcavity being formed by two outer walls that are connected at their lowerends by a third wall, said third wall being operative to preventpivoting of the male member by more than about 90 degrees.
 2. The golftraining aid of claim 1 further comprising a roll pin about which malehinge member pivots.
 3. The golf training aid of claim 1 wherein saidclubhead is selected from the group consisting of: a putter head, aniron, a driver, and a training head.
 4. The golf training aid of claim 1in which the hinge assembly is located at or near the center of gravityof the golf training aid.
 5. A golf training aid comprising: an uppershaft section having a grip; a lower shaft section having a clubhead;and a hinge assembly comprising a female hinge member that is fixed tosaid upper shaft section and a male hinge member that is fixed to saidlower shaft section and that is pivotably connected to said female hingemember; wherein said female hinge member comprises a longitudinal cavitywithin which said male hinge member pivots about a transverse axis, saidcavity being formed by two outer walls that are connected at their lowerends by a third wall and at their upper ends by a fourth wall.
 6. Thegolf training aid of claim 5 wherein said hinge assembly is a one-wayhinge assembly that constrains said lower shaft section to pivot awayfrom a plane that is parallel to said transverse axis and thatintersects said side third wall.
 7. The golf training aid of claim 5wherein said third wall and said fourth wall are operative to preventpivoting of the male member by more than about 90 degrees.
 8. The golftraining aid of claim 5 in which the components of said training aid areconfigured similarly to and weighted approximately the same as those ofa normal golf club.
 9. The golf training aid of claim 5 wherein saidgrip is selected from the group consisting of: a conventional grip, anda training grip.
 10. The golf training aid of claim 5 in which saidfemale hinge member contains a shaft cavity for receiving the lower endof said upper shaft portion.
 11. The golf training aid of claim 5 inwhich said male hinge member and said female hinge member contain boresthat accept a roll pin
 12. The golf training aid of claim 5 wherein thelower end of male hinge member is configured to fit into the hollow coreof said lower shaft section.
 13. The golf training aid of claim 5configured so that the longitudinal axes of upper shaft member and lowershaft member are aligned when a ball is addressed and when the ball isstruck during a proper golf swing.
 14. The golf training aid of claim 5wherein the longitudinal axis of said male hinge member and thelongitudinal axis of said female hinge member are oriented at a 90degree angle when said hinge assembly is fully cocked.
 15. A method fortraining a golfer to execute a proper golf swing using a training aidcomprising an upper shaft section having a handle and a lower shaftsection having a clubhead, said upper and lower shaft sections beingjoined by a one-way hinge assembly, said method comprising: addressingthe ball, at which time said upper shaft section and said lower shaftsection are in alignment; executing a first part of a backswing to afirst checkpoint at which said upper shaft section is parallel to theground and parallel to a line to a target, said handle is generally overthe toes of the right foot, and said lower shaft section is fullycocked; continuing the backswing to a second checkpoint at which theupper end of said upper shaft section is pointing at the target line,said the lower end of lower shaft section is pointing at the target;executing a first part of a forward swing to a third checkpoint at whichsaid upper shaft section and said lower shaft section are in alignment;continuing the forward swing to a fourth checkpoint at which said uppershaft section is parallel to the ground and the target line, said handleis generally over the toes of the left foot, said lower shaft section isfully cocked; and continuing the forward swing to a fifth checkpoint atwhich the upper end of said upper shaft section is pointing at thetarget line and the upper end of said lower shaft section is pointing atthe target.
 16. The method claim 15 wherein addressing the ballcomprises orienting the training aid so that the target is located in aplane that is perpendicular to a reference plane of a zero degreeclubface.
 17. The method claim 15 wherein the lower shaft section isoriented at a 90 degree angle to the upper shaft section at the firstcheckpoint.
 18. The method claim 15 in which contact with a golf balloccurs at the third checkpoint.
 19. The method claim 15 wherein thelower shaft section is oriented at a 90 degree angle to the upper shaftsection at the fourth checkpoint.
 20. The method claim 15 furthercomprising having an observer report to the golfer the orientation ofthe components of the training aid at each checkpoint after the swing iscompleted